John Wartemberg
6d ago
I write about identity drift and how to stay aligned without blowing up your life.
Watch the Pattern, Not the Passion
Your child loves dinosaurs. Next month, it’s planets. Then bugs.
You wonder why they can’t stick with one thing.
But notice what happens each time.
They spend hours learning, then rush to teach everyone at dinner.
Maybe the passion isn’t dinosaurs, planets, or bugs.
It’s explaining things.
Ikigai is a Japanese idea about what makes life feel worth living.
When helping kids discover theirs, we often focus on what they love.
But interests change. The way they enjoy those interests may tell us more.
Instead of asking only, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Try asking, “What’s your favorite part of doing that?”
Look for the pattern before choosing the path.
John Wartemberg